# Jane Kaczmarek

Jane Frances Kaczmarek (/kæzˈmærək/; born December 21, 1955) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Lois on the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle (2000–2006), which earned her 3 Golden Globe nominations and 7 Primetime Emmy nominations. She also appeared as Linda in Equal Justice (1990–1991), Judge Trudy Kessler in Raising the Bar (2008–2009), Ann in Falling in Love (1984), Emily in The Heavenly Kid (1985), and Gayle in 6 Balloons (2018). She had recurring roles as Holly in Cybill and as Maureen Cutler in Frasier and is also known for a large number of recurring and guest-starring roles in various television shows. Kaczmarek was a replacement for the character of Bella in the Broadway production of Neil Simon's Lost In Yonkers.

## Early life

Kaczmarek was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the daughter of Evelyn (née Gregorska), a teacher, and Edward Kaczmarek, a US Department of Defense worker. She grew up in Greendale, a village outside Milwaukee, where she was raised a Roman Catholic. Kaczmarek is a graduate of Greendale High School.

## Career

She appeared on many television shows in recurring and guest-starring roles, including St. Elsewhere, sitcoms like Frasier and Cybill, and many more. She was also a regular on the first eight episodes of the Showtime run of The Paper Chase, as Connie Lehman.
In 1999, Kaczmarek was cast to play Lois in the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, which premiered on January 9, 2000. TV Guide dubbed her role in the series as a "true breakout; a female Homer Simpson", and critics hailed her for her comic talents. Later, Kaczmarek would credit the show for bringing out her comedic side, saying, "[Before Malcolm] I couldn't even get auditions for comedies. I played very unfunny people."
In September 2008, she appeared on stage in The House of Blue Leaves at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.
On July 22, 2011, it was confirmed that Kaczmarek would make a vocal appearance as Red Jessica in the television series Jake and the Never Land Pirates during its second season early 2012.
Kaczmarek was the narrator in the 2011 Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and PBS production of Wisconsin's Nazi Resistance: The Mildred Fish-Harnack Story, a documentary about the life of fellow Milwaukee native Mildred Fish-Harnack who in 1943 was the only American woman to ever be personally sentenced to death by order of Adolf Hitler for her role in the German Nazi Resistance Movement.
In November 2012, she made a guest appearance on ABC's The Middle as Frankie Heck's (Patricia Heaton) dental teacher. In 2013, Kaczmarek guest starred on NBC's long-running legal drama, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as Suffolk County D.A. Pamela "Pam" James.
Kaczmarek and former Malcolm in the Middle co-star Bryan Cranston reprised their roles as Lois and Hal respectively in an "alternate ending" featurette on the Breaking Bad DVD/Blu-ray box set that was released on November 26, 2013. In it, Hal wakes up from the nightmare that was the plot of Breaking Bad, in a nod to the final scene from Newhart.

## Personal life

Kaczmarek married fellow Wisconsin native and actor Bradley Whitford on August 15, 1992. They resided in Los Angeles with their three children. They had frequently attended public events together and had co-founded the foundation "Clothes off our Back," and were last seen together at the September 2008 opening for her performance in the play "House of Blue Leaves" in Los Angeles In June 2009, the couple filed for divorce after almost 17 years of marriage. The divorce was finalized in October 2010. According to a June 2009 magazine interview with More.com conducted prior to announcement of the divorce, she replied "That's a big no comment" when asked to sum up her love life. She added that she used to believe that she could "go it alone and as long as I had some fabulous boy on my arm, or man, and my career was sailing, that's all I needed" whereas she now had grown to appreciate the support of her girlfriends "to talk about kids, to talk about marriages, to talk about just life". In 2010, they sold their 1924 villa in San Marino, California.
Kaczmarek underwent a hip replacement in April 2004, due to chronic arthritis. She recovered quickly, and used an X-ray of her new hip for her Emmy campaign the following summer, advertising herself as "the only Emmy nominee with an artificial hip (except for Anthony LaPaglia)".

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1983 | Uncommon Valor | Mrs. Wilkes |
| 1984 | Falling in Love | Ann Raftis |
| 1985 | The Heavenly Kid | Emily Barnes |
| 1985 | Door to Door | Katherine Holloway |
| 1988 | D.O.A. | Gail Cornell |
| 1988 | Vice Versa | Robyn Seymour |
| 1989 | All's Fair | Linda |
| 1996 | The Chamber | Dr. Anne Biddows |
| 1996 | Wildly Available | Rita Goodman |
| 1998 | Pleasantville | David's mom |
| 2015 | The Boat Builder | Katherine |
| 2016 | Wolves at the Door | Mary |
| 2017 | CHiPs | Jane Lindel |
| 2018 | 6 Balloons | Gayle |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1983 | St. Elsewhere | Sandy Burns | 3 episodes |
| 1983 | Remington Steele | Barbara Troy Dannon | Episode: "Altared Steele" |
| 1983 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Penny | Episode: "Always Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth" |
| 1983–1984 | The Paper Chase | Connie Lehman | 8 episodes |
| 1984 | Hill Street Blues | Officer Clara Pilksy | 6 episodes |
| 1984 | Something About Amelia | Mrs. Hall | Television movie |
| 1984 | Crazy Like a Fox | Julie Floyd | Pilot episode |
| 1985 | Hometown | Mary Newell Abbott | 10 episodes |
| 1986 | The Right of the People | Alicia | Television movie |
| 1986 | The Christmas Gift | Susan | Television movie |
| 1987 | I'll Take Manhattan | Nina Stern | Television movie |
| 1987 | The Three Kings | Dr. Paula Bolet | Television movie |
| 1988 | American Playhouse | Susan Glaspell | Episode: "Journey Into Genius" |
| 1989 | Spooner | Gail Archer | Television movie |
| 1990–1991 | Equal Justice | Linda Bauer | 22 episodes |
| 1993 | Big Wave Dave's | Karen Fisher | 6 episodes |
| 1994 | Monty | Nickerson | Episode: "Wild, Wild Willy and His O.K. Corral" |
| 1994 | Law & Order | Janet Rudman | Episode: "Censure" |
| 1994 | ABC Afterschool Specials | Mary Reed | Episode: "Boys Will Be Boys" |
| 1994 | L.A. Law | Karen Gershon-woo | Episode: "Whose San Andreas Fault Is It, Anyways?" |
| 1994 | Without Warning | Dr. Caroline Jaffe | Television movie |
| 1995 | Picket Fences | Janice Neiman | Episode: "Heroes and Villains" |
| 1995–1999 | Party of Five | Helene Thompson | 3 episodes |
| 1996 | Touched by an Angel | Bonnie Bell | Episode: "Out of the Darkness" |
| 1996 | ABC Afterschool Specials | Nancy Gallagher | Episode: "Educating Mom" |
| 1996 | Apollo 11 | Jan Armstrong | Television movie |
| 1996–1997 | Cybill | Holly | 5 episodes |
| 1996–1997 | Frasier | Maureen Cutler | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | The Practice | Pamela Boyd | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Felicity | Carol Anderson | 5 episodes |
| 2000–2006 | Malcolm in the Middle | Lois | 151 episodes American Comedy Award for Funniest Female Performer in a Television Series Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy (2000–01) Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2001–03) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (2000–06) Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (2001, 2003) Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress – Comedy Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series |
| 2001–2022 | The Simpsons | Judge Constance Harm (voice) | 9 episodes |
| 2006–2007 | Help Me Help You | Anne Hoffman | 6 episodes |
| 2008–2009 | Raising the Bar | Judge Trudy Kessler | 23 episodes |
| 2010 | Reviving Ophelia | Marie Jones | Television movie |
| 2011 | Wilfred | Beth | Episode: "Pride" |
| 2011–2012 | Whitney | Candi | 3 episodes |
| 2012–2013 | The Middle | Sandy Armwood | 2 episodes |
| 2012–2015 | Jake and the Never Land Pirates | Red Jessica (voice) | 12 episodes |
| 2013 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | D.A. Pam James | Episode: "Beautiful Frame" |
| 2014 | Phineas and Ferb | Denise (voice) | Episode: "Lost in Danville/The Inator Method" |
| 2014 | Us & Them | Pam | 7 episodes |
| 2014–2017 | Playing House | Gwen Crawford | 7 episodes |
| 2015 | The McCarthys | Eileen | Episode: "Sister Act" |
| 2015 | Big Time in Hollywood, FL | Dr. Moore | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | Coach Jackie (voice) | Episode: "Ultrahyperball" |
| 2016 | The Big Bang Theory | Dr. Gallo | Episode: "The Sales Call Sublimation" |
| 2016 | Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life | Cindy Barrett | Episode: "How to Survive Your Parents' Visit" |
| 2018 | Animals. | Judge (voice) | Episode: "The Trial" |
| 2018 | This Is Us | Mrs. Philips | Episode: "Katie Girls" |
| 2019 | Trolls: The Beat Goes On! | Mom Cloud (voice) | Episode: "Don't Worry Be Peppy/Two's a Cloud" |
| 2019 | Carol's Second Act | Phyllis | Episode: "Sick and Retired" |
| 2019 | Mixed-ish | Eleanor | Episode: "True Colors" |
| 2023 | The Changeling | Callisto "Cal" | Episode: "The Wise Ones" |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2000 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Malcolm in the Middle | Nominated |
| 2000 | TCA Awards | Individual Achievement in Comedy | Malcolm in the Middle | Won |
| 2001 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Malcolm in the Middle | Nominated |
| 2001 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress in a Television Series: Musical or Comedy | Malcolm in the Middle | Nominated |
| 2001 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Malcolm in the Middle | Nominated |
| 2001 | TCA Awards | Individual Achievement in Comedy | Malcolm in the Middle | Won |
| 2002 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Malcolm in the Middle | Nominated |
| 2002 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress in a Television Series: Musical or Comedy | Malcolm in the Middle | Nominated |
| 2002 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Television Series: Musical or Comedy | Malcolm in the Middle | Nominated |
| 2003 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Malcolm in the Middle | Nominated |
| 2003 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress in a Television Series: Musical or Comedy | Malcolm in the Middle | Nominated |
| 2003 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Malcolm in the Middle | Nominated |
| 2004 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Malcolm in the Middle | Nominated |
| 2004 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Television Series: Musical or Comedy | Malcolm in the Middle | Won |
| 2005 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Malcolm in the Middle | Nominated |
| 2006 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Malcolm in the Middle | Nominated |
| 2012 | Ovation Awards | Lead Actress in a Play | Good People | Nominated |